Life As We Know It
by Dark Waffle
Summary: He says she's too optimistic for her own good. She says he's too dreary for her liking. When new girl Kurata Sana steps into the life of the mysterious Hayama Akito, she realizes life is not all fairy tales and rainbows and he realizes there is more to life then behind the door of his home.
1. Chapter 1: A Fresh Start

**A/N: New idea! I don't know if it'll turn out the way I want it, but ehh it works haha. The next chapter for **_**Two Worlds Collide**_** is out! Anyway, this is pretty much AU. I was inspired by the fanficiton **_**Confessions of a Runaway **_**by Shiori90210. (Great Gakuen Alice story. Read It NOW!) I'm not stealing the idea and it will be different. **

**I'm going to say it now so I don't have to say it for the rest of the chapters. I don't own **_**Kodocha.**_** All its characters belong to Miho Obana. I don't own any songs or any products on here either. Everything that's not mine will be in bold.**

**Okay onto the story now!**

'_Thoughts'_  
"Speech"  
_"Flashback/Dream"_

_**Summary:  
**__He says she's too optimistic for her own good. She says he's too dreary for her liking. When new girl Kurata Sana steps into the life of the mysterious Hayama Akito, she realizes life is not all fairy tales and rainbows and he realizes there is more to life then behind the door of his home. _

_**Life As We Know It**_

_**-O-**_

_**Chapter 1: A Fresh Start**_

_**-O-**_

_"Life's all about moments of impact, and  
how they change our lives forever."  
_-Leo, The Vow

_**-O-**_

Light, sun rays peaked through her bedroom window as she tossed in her new bed. Her auburn tresses were splattered on her pillow as she turned once more.

"_Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe!" "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe!"_

The auburn girl jumped at the sound of her alarm. Her groggy, hazel eyes fluttered half way open. Her tussled sheets crumbled at her feet as she kicked at them.

"So early…" she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

She turned her head towards her alarm. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

_**7:01**_

"I'M GOING TO BE LATE!" she immediately jumped out of bed and shot to her bathroom.

She hurriedly brushed her teeth, washed her face, and brushed her auburn hair, tying them into her signature pigtails. There was something missing though. She pointed her finger to her chin and thought deeply. After sitting there for a few seconds, her brain hit a light bulb.

"MAMA!"

A middle aged woman sat quietly in the midst of her living room as she sipped her tea quietly. Her brown hair was hidden under a small, make shift pool with a chipmunk swimming in it.

"She's so energetic!" The elder woman commented as she placed the tea set on the mahogany table.

"She is a child of many attributes." The middle aged woman commented.

"She is your child Kurata-sama." Kurata Misako gave a small smile to her maid, Shimura, as she brought the tea back to her lips.

"Yes, yes she is."

"MAMA!" The voice increased as the girl approached closer to the two women downstairs. An auburn haired girl quickly made her way downstairs and came to a screeching halt in front of her mother and loyal maid.

"MAMA!Icantfindmyuniformandihavenoideawhereitisandschoolstartsinliketenminutesandimgoingtobelateonmyfirstdayandimgoingtomakeafoolofmyse-"

"It's hanging behind your bedroom door." The rambling girl stopped talking and her eyes turned to tiny dots.

"Oh…" she responded. Shimura giggled slightly. "Well thanks mama!" she then sped off and raced back upstairs.

"Shimura, may I have another cup?" Misako asked as she placed her tea cup on the mat.

"Of course my lady."

"Bye mama! Bye Shimura! Wish me luck today!" The hazel eyed girl yelled as she made her way out of the house. A slight, dust trail was left behind, causing both women to cough slightly.

"That child of mine."

_**-O-**_

Sixteen year-old Kurata Sana stretched her arms out and released a loud yawn. A smile was plastered on her face and she walked towards her new school.

The grin on her face widened as the thought of her new life in a new town became exhilarating to her. There was a new adventure waiting for her and she would make the best of it. Her mother always told her that life was a gift and they should always do best with what their given. Sana promised herself she would.

Her mother had a great way with words. After all, her mother was an award-winning author. She loved her mother very much. She always knew what to say or do to make her feel better and she had mischievous side to her that always made her laugh, especially when she teased her editor Onda about her deadlines, which she never met.

The sun was out bright and the warmth showered over her. The summer uniform fit her nicely and gave her room to breathe, unlike her old school uniform. The thing she found interesting about this school was that they provided two summer uniforms and two winter uniforms. The first summer uniform consisted of a white, mid sleeved dress up shirt and a red tie with a pleated navy blue and red skirt. The one she was wearing at the moment, as instructed by her school, consisted of a white blouse with a navy blue sailor style collar and on the short sleeves was the cuffs of the sailor jackets. Under the collar, they provided the students with another red tie that you tie in the front and a navy blue skirt with high black socks.

She couldn't wait to get to her new classroom and make new friends! She hummed to herself a small tune and grinned happily once more as she walked further away from her house and closer to school.

Sana turned the corner and walking ahead of her was a boy, about her age she presumed. From what she could see, he had shabby, blonde hair and was extremely tall. She walked faster to catch up to him. He was walking the same way as her so she assumed they went to the same school.

As she grew closer to the boy, she realized he was wearing the boy, summer uniform for her new school. With his back still to her, she quietly observed him. He wore navy blue slacks and from what she could tell, a white dress up shirt. She figured he was wearing a red tie because she could see the red garment tied under his collar.

"Hey!"

Silence. Sana frowned slightly. Maybe he didn't hear her?

"Hey you!" she called again. She looked closely and saw that he was listening to music. That would explain why he wasn't listening. She sweat dropped. She raced up to him and tapped his shoulder. He stopped walking immediately and she crashed into his arm.

"Oww." She said as she rubbed her now sore nose.

Sana looked up and he stood there, not even bothering to turn around. Sana pouted.

'_Rude!'_

What he did do, was unplug one of his ear phones. Sana put on her best smile and wrapped her hands behind her back.

"Hi! I'm Sana!"

They both stood there in uncomfortable silence. Sana was feeling a bit uneasy and decided a different approach.

"I'm new here! And I'm guessing by your uniform you go to Jinbou High School right? Cuz that's where I'm going too!" she continued.

This time, he turned his head towards her slightly. Her eyes widened slightly at the piercing look in his golden eye. She felt her body shiver as his eyes literally pierced through her. It was cold, dark, and terrifying. She had never seen something so frightening. He turned away, plugged his earphone back into his ear and continued walking. Sana was baffled by his sudden action.

"Jerk!" She scowled at the boy walking away. Though, she couldn't shake off the feeling in her body. As cliché as it may sound, if looks could kill, she definitely would be dead.

"I hope not everyone in this school is rude like him!" she said to herself. When she looked up again, he was gone.

"Whoa! Where'd he go?" She searched the area for him, but there was no trace of him. It was like he completely vanished.

"Wait! I have no time for this! I have to get to school!" The auburn haired girl increased her paced and hurried on to school. She had to get there on time!

She ran her hardest and realized she was close when she saw the number of students increase. She slowed down slightly and smiled as she saw groups of girls wearing the same uniform as her and boys wearing the uniform of that boy she ran into this morning.

She took a deep breath and walked into the sea of students. Her mouth dropped in awe as she arrived to the front of the school. The gates to the school were open and inside were a pathway that led to the entrance. The school was HUGE!

It was a two story school and the building was shaped like an upside down field goal on a football field. (l_l like this but backwards) To the right and left side of her were large patches of grass, the left filled with trees and the right filled with tables and shaded area.

The outside hallways were shaded and held with large beams. She noticed that the lockers seemed to be located in the outside hallways. She would have to keep note to that when she was assigned her locker number. The students seemed very lively here. She noticed a lot of interaction amongst the students and the atmosphere here resembled her personality. She had a feeling she was going to love this place.

As she stepped inside, she saw several stairs and the hallways breaking into other hallways. She frowned slightly realizing finding the administration office would be harder then it looked.

"Looking for something?" Sana turned around and came face to face with a handsome looking boy. He had milk chocolate brown hair and emerald green eyes. His jaw was perfectly lined and he was at least half a head taller. He had a perfect smile, with shining white teeth.

Sana felt herself blush. "Uhh yeah! I'm looking for the administration office!" she recovered quickly as she smiled at him, bringing her book bag closer to her body.

His eyebrow arched. "Are you new here?"

She nodded. "Yupp! Today's my first day!"

The green eyed boy smiled once more. "In that case, let me introduce myself. My name is Akimoto Hiro. Pleased to meet you." He extended his hand for a shake and Sana returned his kind gestured.

"The name is Kurata Sana! The pleasure is mine!" She said as she shook his hand. Hiro smiled.

"Here, let me show you to the office." He offered. The auburn haired girl beamed at him in gratitude.

"Oh thank you thank you! You're a life saver!" He chuckled hoarsely.

"No need to thank me. It's the least I can do."

"Ahhh! It's Akimoto-san!"

"He's so cute!"

"Be my boyfriend Akimoto-san!"

"WE LOVE YOU AKIMOTO-SAN!"

The brown haired boy rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously as the praised from the younger girls continued.

"So, you're quite popular here with the females aren't you?" Sana asked as she wriggled her eyebrows.

"Haha it's just admiration. Nothing more."

"Really now?" She smirked with a tint of mischief.

"Oh Akimoto-kun! I love you sooooo much! Oh Akimoto-kun! You are soooooo hot! Marry me!" Sana mocked as she copied the reactions to the younger girls. Hiro laughed at her sarcastic tone and childish face expressions.

"When you do it, it doesn't sound so bad." Hiro breathed into the auburn's ear as he dropped down to her level. Sana blushed at his boldness.

"I'm only kidding of course!" she winked at him and sped ahead.

He smirked. "Of course."

As they walked down the hallway, Sana took notice to the inside of the school. On the inside, it was classroom after classroom. The occasional stairway appeared after 5 classrooms or so. She was so amazed at the size and population of the school, she was astounded.

"Wow! It's so big!" she commented. Hiro grinned once more.

"Well Jinbou High School is one of the biggest private schools in the area." Sana gave him an incredulous look.

"No kidding! I could see why!" She clung to her book bag. "How does it work here anyway?"

"Well, the school is a two story building. The bottom half is for the first years and second years." Hiro then pointed up. "The top of the school is for third years and fourth years. That's where I go." He smirked, which Sana blushed slightly too. "I'm a fourth year. What are you?"

"I'm a third year." She answered. He smiled once more.

"So that means I'll be seeing you around right?" The sixteen year old could smell the cologne off his back as he moved closer to her.

"Uhh yeah!" she smiled as she back away a bit.

"Anyway, we have a trimester system here. We go to school for ten weeks, taking four classes at each semester. For example, the spring semester ended four weeks ago and now we've started the summer session. Then in ten weeks, we will start our four week vacation, then after, start our winter session. Make sense?" He explained. Sana lost it when he started using his fingers to count off the number of weeks and such. Her head went dizzy and her eyes turned to small dots once more.

"Uhh yeah?" He laughed again.

"Not good with math I assume?" Sana released a nervous chuckle.

"Let's just say that if you compared me to monkey or a whale, I'd be the whale." She laughed as she scratched the back of her head.

Hiro laughed at her weird comparison. "You're funny. I like you." Sana blushed once more and diverted her eyes away from him.

"Well here it is!" Sana looked up and sure enough, there was the administration office. She turned around and smiled at her new friend.

"Thank you so much Akimoto-kun! I would have been lost without you!" she playfully sulked.

"No problem." He shone her his perfect grin and she smiled back at him.

"By the way, call me Hiro." He smirked and then made his way upstairs. Sana gulped as he walked away. She leaned back against the wall and sighed.

"Welp! Time to get this done!" and raced inside the office.

_**-O-**_

A tired sigh escaped his lip as their homeroom teacher read through the daily announcements. As they took their bow, they sat down once more. His tired eyes felt the need to close. He wasn't able to sleep last night and felt like he would faint at any given second.

The strangest thing happened this morning to just sugarcoat everything. This strange, random girl approached him. Obviously she was new; otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten anywhere close to him. Everyone at school knew it was smart to avoid him. Her voice was so high pitched and too cheery. It was annoying and she looked like a junior high student with her stupid pig tails and stupid grin. Also, she talked way too much.

What was her name again? Sasha? Dana? Sandra?

He forgot, but it didn't matter. His chances of seeing her again were slim. After all, even if she did come to this school, there were over nine hundred students here. Chances of seeing her were one to one million.

"Psst!" He heard a small whisper and turned his head towards the boy in front of him.

"Akito!" He whispered loudly.

Akito frowned slightly at the brown haired boy. His eyes basically gave him that _"What the hell do you want?"_ look.

The brown haired boy glared at him and pushed his eye glasses up on his nose. His eyes gave that _"You're a jerk!"_ look.

The blonde haired boy rolled his eyes and turned away from him, looking out the window.

Sasaki Tsuyoshi sighed as he slumped in his desk. His stupid best friend was an insensitive jerk as always. Tsuyoshi brushed away his brown locks from his face and fixed his glasses. His brown eyes dropped in concern. His best friend was so stupid.

"Alright class, before I leave you to your free period, I would like to introduce our new student." The whole class turned their gazes towards the front of the room. Akito secretly turned his gaze towards the front, thinking the impossible was going to happen.

"You may come in."

The door opened and in came an auburn haired, hazel eyed girl with a smile plastered on her face. The boys in the class admired her simple beauty and the girls sat with silence, not really knowing what kind of girl the new girl was.

"Hello! My name is Kurata Sana! I hope we can all be friends!" The grin on her face never faltered.

"Ms. Kurata, take a seat next to Mr. Hayama over by the window." Sana nodded and made her way to her seat. Along the way, a brown haired boy smiled at her. She smiled back. As she arrived to her seat, she turned towards her classmate.

"Alright class, make her feel welcomed and I'll see you tomorrow." The teacher then walked out and the class bustled with noise.

"Hi there! Kurata-san right?" Sana turned around to come face to face with a brown haired boy.

"Hi! And yeah! But you could just call me Sana!" she responded.

"My names Sasaki Tsuyoshi, but you could just call me Tsuyoshi!" He said with a smile. He had brown haired and brown eyes. From what Sana could tell, he was kind of scrawny, but he seemed like a sweet boy.

"Well it's nice to meet you Tsuyoshi-kun!" She greeted enthusiastically.

"Oh and this is Hayama Akito. He's usually rude and sarcastic so don't mind him." He said as he introduced his best friend.

"That's alright! Hi there Hayama!"

When he turned, Sana's heart stopped. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. It was the jerk from this morning!

"YOU!" she yelled as she stood up.

Tsuyoshi looked at both her and his best friend with puzzlement.

"You guys have met before?" he asked.

"Oh yeah! We met this morning! Idiot! I was so lost! The least you could have done is helped me out!" she lectured as she pointed at him, causing the class to turn to her.

As Sana pointed at him, she pouted. His face was just so… empty, so cold. His face bore no emotion and his eyes were dark and lifeless. She had never encountered someone with such an eerie demeanor and a penetrating gaze that gave her chills up her spine.

"Akito?" Tsuyoshi gave him a questioning look.

"You're annoying." He then turned away and raised the volume of his iPod.

Sana gaped at him and had a sudden urge to claw at the jerk sitting next to her. It amazed her to see such an insufferable being at a prestigious school at this caliber. Then again, she wasn't too surprised. This school was full of geniuses and wealthy, snobby students. There were bound to be those few that walked these hallways as if they were the Queen of England herself.

"Why you!" She started, "You are such an a-"

"Hey there!" But Sana was cut off as two voices simultaneously called out to her. She turned around to come face to face with two girls; the one on the left had a bob cut with raven black hair and violet colored eyes while the girl next to her had blondish, brownish hair that was fishtailed back and golden brown eyes.

"Uhh hi!" she responded, giving both girls her undivided attention.

"My names Mami!" the raven, bob cut haired girl introduced.

"And I'm Hisae!" The golden haired girl said after.

"Hi guys! I'm Sana!" The auburn introduced once more. She smiled and the duo grinned back.

"Can we steal her from you Tsuyoshi?" Hisae asked with pleading eyes.

"It won't be long!" Mami added in with a cute, innocent smile that deviously played on her lips.

Tsuyoshi chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Su-sure!"

The two teenagers hauled her away from the stuttering boy across the classroom. They sat her down in the desk rather roughly and sat at each side of her.

"So Sana, we want to be your friends!" Sana's eyes shrunk to small dots and she blinked twice with a crooked smile on her face. It took her a minute to register the sudden request. She then returned to normal and smiled the silly grin of hers.

"Of course! I love making new friends!"

"Great!" Mami commented with a grin.

"So Sana, where did you come from?" Hisae asked as she crossed her arms and leaned in on the table in front of her.

"I'm actually from Nagoya, but I spent some time in Osaka before I moved to Nagoya and now I'm here! If that makes sense!" She laughed, rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah girl! That makes total sense!" Mami commented, laughing a long with Sana.

"Hey! You said you lived in Osaka right?" Hisae asked, putting a finger to her chin.

"Yeah?" Sana questioned.

"We also have a friend who lived in Osaka for some time!" Hisae explained as she pounded her fist down on palm on her hand. "You can meet her next period since we all have it together!"

The auburn haired girl grinned, liking the idea of making more friends. Everybody seemed really nice off the bat; except for the golden eyed boy she met not that long ago. He seemed to have a little of an attitude problem.

"That sounds great!" She grinned at her new friends and they talked together for the rest of the period, getting to know each other a bit. But Sana couldn't stop herself from stealing glances at the blonde haired boy she met this morning. There was just something about him that called her out to him.

"Hey Mami, Hisae?" Both girls stopped mid conversation.

"What's up?" they both asked.

"What's the deal with that Hayama Akito guy?" She pointed back at him, and Hisae and Mami's face fell. They both looked at each, as if asking each other for permission to say anything. Sana grew confused and felt in the dark. They both nodded at each other and looked back at Sana, their goofy demeanor replaced by a more serious look.

"Well, Sana, we don't just tell anyone about him. Actually, you're the first person to ask that in a long time." Hisae thought back, looking as if she was thinking too hard.

Sana quirked an eyebrow at that.

"We all went to the same elementary and middle school together. We basically grew up with each other. You know, me, Hisae, Tsuyoshi, Tsuyoshi's girlfriend and another friend of ours that you will meet, and Hayama." Mami continued.

"Hayama Akito was always, well how do you put it?" Mami looked to Hisae for help.

"Reserved. He was very reserved to himself. No one really knows what it is that he hides, except for maybe Tsuyoshi, but Hayama has this really scary aura around him which scares off mostly everyone."

Mami nodded, in agreement with Hisae's statement. "People tend to not go near him and he does the same back. He always has this stoic look on his face and is really broody. He doesn't talk to people much, except for Tsuyoshi and our friend from Osaka that we told you about." Mami stopped, looking over at the Hayama and Tsuyoshi, "and even with those two, he doesn't speak much."

"No one really knows what his deal is, but people are just automatically afraid of him because of his eyes, which if you haven't noticed, are awfully scary." Hisae injected, "I mean, we don't even know and we've known him out entire lives."

"Has anybody ever tried getting to know him?" Sana asked, her curiosity spinning wildly. She always did have a bad case of curiosity and it has gotten her in leaps of trouble before. She had a feeling if she pried here too much; this was going to be trouble as well.

"If you count Tsuyoshi and our friend from Osaka, yeah but other than that, no." Hisae shrugged her shoulders. Sana frowned, feeling sorry for the boy.

"I wouldn't fret too much on it, Sana." She added, to which Mami agreed.

"Yeah! I mean, even if you wanted too, Hayama could sure be nasty and just scare you off like he did with the rest of us."

Sana glanced over at the blonde again, his back towards her. She decided to drop the subject, for now.

_**-O-**_

"What was that all about?" Tsuyoshi asked, as he looked back at the blonde haired boy, who snorted.

"Nothing." He wasn't in the mood to deal with Tsuyoshi, or that stupid, annoying girl, or anyone for that matter.

Tsuyoshi frowned. "Sure didn't seem like nothing. You met her this morning?"

Hayama sighed, knowing that the brown haired boy was just going to continue pestering with him questions. The sooner he answered them, the sooner he would leave him alone.

"Yeah, I was walking to school, she came up to me for directions or whatever, and then I ignored her and went on my merry way." He said dryly, trying to be as vague as possible.

"You _ignored _her when she needed help? Don't you think that was a bit rude, Akito?" Tsuyoshi crossed his arms, the frown still in place. He liked this Sana girl and didn't think it was fair for his best friend to be so rude to someone who he hadn't even had the chance to really talk too.

"I'm not a nice person, Tsuyoshi." He felt Tsuyoshi's glare on him as he turned up the volume of his iPod. "You want nice, go to Natsumi."

"I know you're _not_ a nice person. And where is Natsumi? I didn't see her come in this morning. Not that you two come in together anyway." Hayama could barely hear him through the music in his ears, but nonetheless, heard the question.

"She went ahead of me this morning. Some project or whatever with her friends." He hoped that would be the last of this conversation.

"You still haven't talked to her, have you?"

Hayama sighed roughly, taking out his earphones. He glared at the boy next to him, very _annoyed _and _irritated _by his sudden interest into his life.

"Leave. It." He said with a threatening tone. He wasn't the type of guy to share, especially when it concerned his personal life. That was off limits.

"She's your sister, Akito. The least you could-"

"I said _leave it_." He hissed, rather loudly, which earned a few looks from people around him, including the new girl. She looked over at him with the curious gaze. He scoffed and got up, leaving the brown haired boy behind as he walked towards the door.

"Wait! Akito!" Tsuyoshi called out to him, but Hayama was already out the door before Tsuyoshi could even muster the first word.

Sana watched as he abruptly got up and left his friend behind, heading out towards the door. She frowned again, wondering what made him so mad that he yelled at Tsuyoshi.

"Isn't anybody going to go after him?" She unconsciously asked. Hisae and Mami both looked at each then back at her, shaking their heads.

"He does that a lot. No one knows why, but he just gets up and leaves. Nobody ask, but nobody really cares also." Mami commented, "As mean as that may sound."

"Oh." Sana was surprised by the way people treated this guy. Sure, he was a little rough around the edges, but he couldn't have been that bad, right?

_**-O-**_

Homeroom went by quickly and soon, Sana and her new friends made their way to their next class: math. Sana groaned, annoyed by the subject that would be her ultimate downfall. Her friends noticed her sudden change in demeanor and asked her, to which she energetically rambled on about her failure in math throughout her academic life.

"I'm just not good at it. Never have been. I don't think I ever will, to be honest." She said, sheepishly and embarrassed. Her friends laughed, amused by her ramblings.

"Well good thing our friend from Osaka is good at it!" Sana smiled, giving her the thumbs up.

"Here we are!" Mami said as they walked into their next class.

They walked in and it was much nosier than their homeroom, Sana noted. She felt Mami grab her arm and lead her to the other side of the room calling out to what Sana saw was Tsuyoshi, another girl she hadn't met before, and another boy, with Hisae right beside her.

"Hey guys!"

They turned around and greeted Mami and Hisae then all looked over at Sana. Tsuyoshi smiled and waved at her before Hisae took the chance to introduce her to the rest of the group.

"Hi, I'm Kurata Sana! But you could just call me Sana!" she introduced with a grin on her face.

"Hi Sana-chan! I'm Sugita Aya, but you could just call me Aya!"

"She's also my girlfriend." Tsuyoshi added in with a proud smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, which caused her to giggle.

Sugita Aya was a petite girl, like Sana. She had ashy brown hair and gentle chocolate brown eyes. Sana could tell she was a soft spoken, but had a feeling they would be great friends.

"Oh Tsuyoshi-kun." She cooed. Sana could hear everyone groan to which she just laughed.

"You guys are too cute!" Sana gushed, "She seems like a good girl, good job Tsuyoshi!" She patted him on the back as she laughed, to which Aya and Tsuyoshi both thanked her and proceeded to tell her that they had been dating since elementary school.

"Yo! I'm Gomi!" He had a short, buzz cut and dark eyes, but other than that, there was nothing more that needed to be said.

"And this idiot is _my _boyfriend." Hisae went and put Gomi in head lock, making Sana's eyes widen with surprise. She had such force on him that she had never seen before.

"What about you, Mami? Any special boy for you?" Sana turned to Mami and wriggled her eyebrows, to which Mami blushed.

"No, none here." She confessed, putting her hands up in defense.

"Sana?"

The entire group turned around at the new voice and Sana went wide eyed, not believing her eyes. There stood a girl with brown hair that reached to her shoulder and light brown eyes. She was as tall as Sana and her arms and legs were very toned, from what she could see.

"Fuka!?"

Tsuyoshi, Aya, and the rest of the group went wide eyed at Sana's sudden recognition.

"Kurata Sana?" The girl known as Fuka cracked a smile behind those disbelieving eyes.

"Matsui Fuka!" Sana grinned and began to laugh, not believing that her old best friend was here, at this school, here in Tokyo.

"Girl! I haven't seen you in AGES!" Fuka tackled her into a hug, to which Sana returned.

"I KNOW!" They both pulled away from each other, laughing at the sheer possibility of the two being reunited.

"I can't believe your here! I mean, I knew you moved to Tokyo because of your dad's job, but I had no idea it was here! At this school!" Sana commented, still not believing Fuka was really here.

"You can't believe I'm here? I can't believe you're here!" Fuka said back, "What are you even doing here in Tokyo?!"

The rest of the group watched silently as the two girls talked, lost at what was going on. Hisae and Mami felt out of the loop, especially because they had befriended Sana first and now Fuka was taking her away from them. Tsuyoshi and Aya watched silently, looking back at each other, then shrugging their shoulders.

"Oh you know, Mama's work stuff!" Sana said as she laughed, making Fuka narrowed her eyes.

"I don't believe you for a second!" The brown haired girl retorted, making Sana laugh again. Fuka knew her better than anybody else ever did. It was just like her too see behind her lie.

"Uh, how do you two know each other?" This time, Hisae interrupted, tired of being ignored.

Both Fuka and Sana turned towards the group, then back towards each other and laughed, making the group give those questioning glances.

"We went to the same elementary and middle school for a few years back when I lived in Osaka!" Sana began.

"That was before I moved here to Tokyo for my dad's transfer! Before I met you guys!" Fuka chimed.

"Fuka and I were best friends throughout those years! We were inseparable! Right Fuka?" The auburn haired girl gave Fuka the peace sign with a bright smile that made the brown haired teenager laugh lightly.

"Yeah! When we first met, people said that we looked like each other and were each other's twins because we basically acted the same!"

"I see it." Tsuyoshi noted, smiling after.

"Yeah, me too!" Mami and Hisae said at the same time.

"They use to think we were lesbian for each other because we were always together and did silly, stupid things for each other." Sana laughed as she remembered back to her middle school memories.

"I remember that! It wasn't until you kissed Yuta that everyone stopped believing in those stupid rumors!" Fuka's laugh died down a bit, thinking back to her middle school memories too.

Sana stopped laughing, cursing herself for making the stupid mistake of bringing up the one person Fuka never liked to talk about.

The group noticed the sudden change in the conversation and watched both the girls with sharp eyes, wondering who this 'Yuta' person.

"Yeah, those were fun times!" Fuka said with a smile. Sana let out a relief sigh, happy that her friend was okay with bringing that name up.

Sana gave her a smile and mouthed _'sorry'_ to which Fuka shook it off and said _'it was okay.'_ Before anybody could ask questions, Sana turned to Hisae and Mami.

"Who would have known the Osaka friend you were talking about was my best friend!" She started, "And you're right! She is really good at math!"

Fuka groaned, not believing that Sana was s_till_ having trouble with what was probably the easiest subject in school.

"Don't tell me you're still ridiculously bad at math?"

Sana gave her a sheepish smile, giggling when Fuka rolled her eyes.

"Unbelievable." The brown haired girl laughed lightly as Sana burst into a fit of giggles.

"Well, than that makes it easier on us now that you know Fuka!" Tsuyoshi said with a laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Fuka asked sharply, narrowing her eyes at the boy with the glasses.

Tsuyoshi put his hands up in defense, laughing nervously as Fuka swiped out her fan. "Nothing! Nothing! But…"

"But what?!" Fuka demanded as she placed her hands at her hips.

"You're not exactly the easiest person to warm up too when first meeting you." Tsuyoshi finished as he backed away from the brown haired girl. Sana laughed loudly as she clutched her stomach because of how funny and_ true _Tsuyoshi's statement.

"And _what _are _you _laughing at?!" She turned sharply to her best friend.

Sana wiped her tears from her eyes. "It's so true! I mean, remember when we met?" She put a hand on her shoulder and grinned. "We hated each other!"

"Well… I guess so." Fuka put her fan down and thought back to their elementary school days and laughed as she recalled the memory. Sana had just moved and was introduced to the class. People liked her immediately, but she had doubts. And with Sana being the same type of person she was, they both thought the same thing and bumped heads occasionally. It wasn't until they were both put into after school detention for throwing food at each other during lunch that they became friends. They both insulted each other but then laughed and became best friends after.

"You guess so! It's so true!" Sana laughed and everyone joined in, making Fuka embarrassed. Her and Sana went back and forth a few times before they eventually sat down and started their class. Sana sat next to Fuka and watched as the mysterious blonde boy from this morning walked in so casually and sat near the back. She saw as Fuka gave him this glare, which he turned away from her. Sana sat confused, wondering what the relationship between her and the blonde boy was.

_**-O-**_

Class went by incredibly slow for Sana. She groaned and whined at the math problems her teacher started doing. She got a few kicks and glares from Fuka who kept nagging her to shut up. She watched the teacher do these problems that just looked foreign to her. She gave up after the first fifteen minutes and stopped paying attention. Of course, after class Fuka reprimanded her for still being an idiot and even though Sana tried to argue back, there was no she could because Fuka was right.

Tsuyoshi watched as the two girls argued with a smile. Aya had joined in on their conversation and Hisae, Mami, and Gomi had all left to their next class. He usually walked Aya to class but she Sana dragged her into their conversation and now he stood waiting for them to finish.

He heard the door slide open and out came his stoic faced best friend. Tsuyoshi noticed how tired he was and walked over to him, hoping that he was no longer in a bad mood from earlier.

"Hey Akito." Tsuyoshi walked up to him with a smile.

Called boy turned to him and nodded. Tsuyoshi sighed in relief.

"Apparently, Sana and Fuka already knew each other back in the day and they hit it off just fine. Funny huh? And the best part is that they are exactly the same! Except, I think Sana is a little nicer than Fuka." Tsuyoshi said as he tried making conversation with his best friend.

"There's two of them?" He questioned as he looked over at Fuka and the new girl, Sana. Tsuyoshi nodded as he smiled.

"Great. Buka is annoying enough." He mumbled under his breath as he turned away from him. Tsuyoshi frowned.

"Akit-"

"See you later guys!"

And at that moment, Sana, who wasn't paying attention as she was looking back while waving goodbye to her friends, crashed right into Hayama, causing them to both fall to the floor, the auburn haired girl falling right on top of him.

Hayama felt the air get knocked out of him as the new girl crashed right into him, making them both fall to the cold, hard floor. He groaned silently as his elbow ached from falling on it awkwardly. He tried to push himself up, but there was a sudden weight keeping him down.

Sana rubbed her head, as she lifted herself up. "Ow." But her eyes went wide eyed as she felt something soft under her hand. She looked down and noticed that she had her hand pressed against a very firm chest. Her eyes trailed up and blushed as she locked eyes with the golden eyed boy she met this morning.

The position they were in was a very promising position for any hormonal teenager. The auburn haired girl was straddling Hayama's hips and very close to his face. Her hand was pushed up against his chest and he hand one hand on her calf, the other pushing himself off the ground.

"You're really heavy, you know that?" Sana flushed as she realized the embarrassing position she was in. She yelled as she jumped off of him as fast as she could.

"I'm sorry! I didn't watch where I was going!" She laughed as her face flushed bright red. She bent down and helped him pick up some of the items that fell from his bag.

The blonde haired boy annoyingly grabbed his bag and glared at the girl who was helping him pick his stuff up. He couldn't believe the position she just put him. He wanted to strangle her.

"I'm really sorry! I'm so clumsy!" She gave him a sheepish smile, "Honestly, mama always tells me I'm going to break something one of these days!"

He gave her a glare, at which she ignored. That ticked him off more. She handed him some of the papers that flew out of his bag and he grabbed them from her hand, but not before making brief contact with her hand. Both teenagers went wide eyed as their fingers touched. Hayama felt an electric pulse convulse through his body. And unbeknownst to them, Sana felt the same jolt.

Both ignored the brief contact. The golden eyed boy gave her one more glare before turning away. "You idiot."

Sana gaped, glaring back at the boy. The nerve of him, she thought to herself as he walked away from her. "I'm not an idiot!" She shouted back, still fuming red from earlier.

But both teenagers couldn't deny the jolt that ran through their body at contact. Hayama frowned, wanting to shake off the feeling. He didn't need any more people in his life. He didn't need more people to meddle with his closed door. Sana smiled to mask the sudden anxiety. Though it was brief, Sana felt a sudden tingle. She didn't know what it was, but there was something about Hayama that made her raise a brow. Unbeknownst to both teenagers, that brief contact was the start of a long, heartbreaking, challenging road with dips, curves, forks, and so much more.

**A/N: I need to stop doing this. I need to stop writing stories and uploading them when I already have other stories to focus on. But, this one, I really want to write. I actually had this written for a while but I kept putting it off because I had other stories to finish but I finally decided to upload this. I hope you guys enjoyed this. Let me know what you guys think! Should I continue or no? A review is very much appreciated! **

**Till next time!  
-Dark Waffle**


	2. Chapter 2: Mean

**A/N: So I'm currently procrastinating because I don't want to study for my Chem final and I'm really just chilling in the library with all my notes and books open writing this. So for all you college students out there, Happy Finals Week and May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor/May The Force Be With You. (Yes, I totally love The Hunger Games AND Star Wars.)**

**I don't own Kodocha or any of it's contents.**

_'Thoughts'_  
"Speech"  
_"Flashback/Dream"_

**Summary:**  
_He says she's too optimistic for her own good. She says he's too dreary for her liking. When new girl Kurata Sana steps into the life of the mysterious Hayama Akito, she realizes life is not all fairy tales and rainbows and he realizes there is more to life then behind the door of his home._

_**Life As We Know It**_

_**-O-**_

_**Chapter 2: Mean**_

_**-O-**_

_"Why you gotta be so mean?"_  
- Mean, Taylor Swift

_**-O-**_

"Well that was embarrassing."

Sana glared over at Fuka, who was snickering after her run in with Hayama. Sana stuck her tongue out at the brown haired girl and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Shut up!" She said back, glaring at her. Fuka put her hand up and she laughed slightly.

"Don't take Akito's insults to serious. He's just like that. But, you really are an idiot, so I think he hit the nail pretty well on that."

Ignoring her insult, Sana noted that Fuka called him 'Akito' rather than Hayama like everyone else. She wondered if there was anything going on between the two.

"Whatever!" Sana turned away and marched to her next class. She heard Fuka sigh, then laugh. Sana cracked a smile and ran off to class, trying to forget about her embarrassing moment not that long ago.

She walked in and was a little disappointed when she saw that none of her new friends were in there. But at last glance she took, she noticed the blonde haired boy who she ran into this morning. The auburn haired girl walked over towards the back of the room where the boy was sitting, listening to his music, looking out the window. She wondered what went on in that mind of his. Though, that was was a bit weird because she hardly even knew the guy. All she really know was his name and face. Oh, and that he had no friends but Tsuyoshi and Fuka apparently because he pushed everyone away.

She could try and be his friend, though. Even if he was rude, having only two friends kind of was a downer.

Sana walked up to him and sat down in the empty seat in front of him. She casted a glance at him and noticed that he had not even spared her a glance. She puffed her cheeks. He could at least acknowledge her presence.

Setting her stuff down on top of the desk in front of her, she debated whether to turn around and talk to him or just let it be. But, obviously, she was Kurata Sana and she was the type of person to never give up and she hadn't even begun to try with him. She sighed, knowing full well that she wasn't just going to let it be.

Putting on her best 'Sana grin,' she turned around and slammed a hand on his desk, making him turn to her with a slight, annoyed scowl on his stoic face. _'Victory!'_ she thought to herself as she smiled at him.

"So Hayama..." She started. He turned away from her again, making her frown. She didn't appreciate that.

"Look, I think we started off on the wrong foot. You were mean to me, I was mean to you. I accidently fell on top of you, and you were mean again, but we could totally just forget all of that and be friends, don't you think?" She was rambling again, but after, waited diligently for a response. But, he continued ignoring her.

"I mean, I know I'm clumsy and all, but I apologized you know?" If he wouldn't respond, she would keep talking.

Absolute silence. She was growing irritated. Sure, she ran into him, but was he seriously that mad at her? Did she ruin his reputation or something? Was he known for not being clumsy? Or not falling on the floors? Did it make him look 'uncool' or something?

"Come now. Can't we let bones by bones and just get on with our lives?"

"Don't you mean 'bygones be bygones,' idiot."

Sana went wide eyed and beamed as he_ finally_ responded to her. She ignored the insult from him, not really caring if she said it wrong. The hazel eyed girl was content with getting a few words out of the silent man.

"Finally! I got something out of you! You're one tough cake to batter you know!" In her reply, she watched as he rolled his eyes and mumbled something about _'nut to crack, stupid._'

"So, what do you say? Friends?!" The grin split her face light up with joy. He narrowed his eyes at her and scoffed.

"No."

And with that, he turned away from her and raised the volume of his music. Sana's mood was shot to hell and her moment of happiness was replaced by irritating and annoyance. She wouldn't lie and say the rejection didn't sting. It did and she was displeased. The auburn haired girl gritted her teeth as she heard him turn up the volume of his music as the music blared from his buds.

"Fine then!" She turned hastily away from him. "Didn't wanna be friends with you anyway!"

Hayama stole a glance at her and watched as she moved around in her seat. He inwardly sighed in relief as he figure she would go to another seat now that he plainly rejected her invitation to be friends. But, was surprised to see that instead, she grabbed her notebook from her her bag and remained in the seat in front of him.

Normally, people would cry and leave by now.

But, she stayed.

He watched her back as she slouched over her desk, listening to their teacher drone on about the importance of the English language and how being bilingual in both English and Japanese will help you later in life with a career. He could hear her groan and watched as she put attention to the lecture.

Why didn't she leave?

It reminded him when Buka was constantly poking at him for answers. She was annoying too. Yet, she was a bit more forceful than the new girl. He supposed Tsuyoshi was right. They were really a lot a like. But, the new girl was definitely more stupid than Buka.

He scoffed as she answered a question wrong, the teacher reprimanding her. She apologized, cracking a joke. The class laughed, even the teacher. She laughed right with them and in just a matter of seconds, the class went back to normal. The golden eyed boy rolled his eyes as he directed his focus back outside the window.

Some time passed and Sana was actually really enjoying her English class, despite the boy behind her. She tried ignoring his rudeness and just go on with her life, but she didn't want to be on bad terms with the boy, especially since they were both friends with Fuka. Sana signed, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand. They were doing individual work now and she found herself struggling a bit with the basic fundamentals of the English language. She needed help. Biting her lip, she was trying to decide who she could ask. In all honesty, she could pretty much ask anybody in this class for help.

But of course, she decided to make her life difficult again and try again with the mean boy behind her. She turned around and set her paper on his desk. He gave her a questioning glance.

"Okay, I get it. You don't like me. Whatever. But, I need help so can you pull your head out of your butt for second? Then I promise to get out of your hair."

He looked at her with a hard stare, examining her pale, yet peach color skin face. She looked like a child with her pigtails and her innocent face. But she was persistent and maybe she could be as aggressive as Buka, which was not a good thing.

But, he was still surprised when she turned around to face him. She could have really gone to anybody else but him. Unless she was just being lazy and didn't feel like getting up.

"Okay."

Sana sighed in relief and smiled at him, thanking him.

"Why does the i and e switch here in this word, but not in_ perceive_?"

"Because it's a rule."

The young teenager glared at the boy in front of her. "But why?"

"Because it's a basic English rule, idiot." Was she really this stupid? Or was she just acting it? He thought she was really that stupid.

"Because it's a basic English rule."

"Well, how do you know when to do it?" She pressed on, circling the e and i in the word_ perceive_.

He groaned, and galred at her. She really was just that stupid.

"Did you not take English back at your old high school or something? Did they not teach you the fundamentals of English?"

Sana blushed as she embarrassed him so casually. Obviously she took English. She only took one year of it then stopped because she transferred schools and they didn't offer it at her new school.

"I moved to a new school and they didn't have it there okay, jerk!" She fought back. She wasn't going to let the jerk sass her for not being all too smart.

They glared at each other and Sana wanted to do nothing more than to smack the crap out of him._ 'If only I had my toy hammer.'_ She thought to herself as she looked deep into the golden eyes of the boy in front of her.

His eyes were definitely uncontrollable and wild. They were cold and lifeless. She had never seen eyes so conflicting. Her mother always told her that the quickest way to learn about someone was through the eyes. And his eyes definitely showed her more than she thought.

"I before e, but not after c, _baka_."

He saw the light in her eyes. She hadn't experienced pain. She was a virgin to the world. She was naive and innocent. Her eyes were bright, energetic, hopeful. Eyes like hers needed to stay away from him. He would only contaminate her. He would make the light go away.

"What did you just call me?!" She gritted her teeth again, totally ignoring his advice.

"BA-KA." He drew out.

She fumed in anger and stood up, throwing daggers at him. Her hands were clenched at her sides as steam blew from her ears (not really). He watched as she stood up, giving him the nastiest look he had ever seen.

"You are so_ UGH!_"

"Ms. Kurata? Is there a problem?"

Sana flushed immediately, remembering that they weren't alone and she was in the middle of class, so her outburst was heard by everybody. She smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head as she turned back towards her teacher and all eyes were on her.

"Ah, sorry about that sensei! I just don't know how to control myself sometimes, you know?"

The teacher gave her a confused glance. "It won't happen again, I promise!" She bowed, screwing her eyes shut, hoping that the teacher would be remorseful.

"I'll let this go with a warning, Ms. Kurata, but don't let it happen again, got it?"

She nodded her head vigorously, anime tears streaming down her face. "Thank you sensei! Thank you so much!" Before she sat back down, she glowered at the boy behind her and 'huffed' as she went back to doing her own work.

English ended and Sana couldn't be any happier to get out. She stormed away from Hayama and made her way to her next class, without even stopping to greet any of her new friends. Tsuyoshi and Aya were in her class and they noticed her change in attitude from this morning. They asked her why she was so upset and she proceeded with only one word "Hayama."

They both looked at each, surprised. But Sana ignored their shocked glances. Instead, all class long she was thinking of ways to hurt the blonde haired boy she met today. She had never been so_ infuriated_ with someone. And never had someone ever been just so casually cold and _mean_ to her. She couldn't believe how prissy he was. She couldn't believe how much she already detested him!

Without putting attention to a single thing her sensei went over, class ended and Tsuyoshi, Aya and Sana were off to lunch. They met up with Fuka, who was waiting by the lockers and gave a questionable look to Sana.

"What's up with you? You look like someone just ate your most favorite dessert int the world." Fuka commented as they walked towards the cafeteria.

"UGH! I _hate_ him!" She blew up, crossing her arms in front of her. Fuka casted a confused glance at Tsuyoshi and Aya, who in return, shrugged their shoulders.

"Who?" The brown haired gymnast asked.

"Hayama! That's who!" Sana sneered his name with venom as she glared at anything in particular.

"You're still not upset about this morning, are you?" Fuka started, "Because, I told you, he's just like that."

"Yeah, Sana. Hayama is mean. Remember what I said in homeroom this morning?" Tsuyoshi added in.

"You're right. He_ IS_ mean! But kami!" She threw her hands up in the air, stopping in the middle of the hallway, "I didn't know he was such a freakin' jerk!"

"All I did was try being friends with him because you know, I'm friends with you guys, and he just blew me off! Not only that, he just continued to insult me because I forgot some of the basic English rules since I haven't taken English since middle school!" She ranted.

"You tried befriending Akito?" Tsuyoshi asked, surprised. No one had tried doing that in a long time. He looked over at Aya, who also was surprised.

"Yes!" Sana yelled, still upset.

"Hayama Akito is not easy to get along with, Sana. He's rude and cold to people, especially to people he doesn't like." Fuka grabbed her shoulder, her mouth in a thin line.

"I didn't even do anything to him! I gave him no reason to not like me!" Sana countered, "If anything, I have more reasons to not like him!"

"You wouldn't be the first, Sana-chan." Aya said quietly. Sana stopped immediately. She looked over at Aya in confusion.

"What?"

"People don't like Akito. It's not that he has done anything wrong. People just don't like his attitude. They think he thinks he's too good for people here when really, he's just trying to get through high school like the rest of us." Fuka said.

"He's not a bad person, just misunderstood. He doesn't let people in. So don't take offense if he pushes you away or calls you mean things." Tsuyoshi said next.

"Though, you're right, he can be a real jerk if he wanted too. I would know." Fuka thought back to all the times before when he would constantly call her names and go off on her about her being persistent and constantly on his case about everything. Even though she had only known his for a year and a half, she only knew what he allowed her to know. And even then she felt privileged because some people didn't know anything at all.

"So, hate him or whatever. It doesn't matter. But, don't expect me to get involved in any of your arguments, got it?"

"Well, it's not like I want to hate him!" She said back, "I really wanted to try and be friends with him, but he was being such a blackhead that he made me not like him!" She argued.

"Don't you mean blockhead, Sana?" Tsuyoshi asked to which she waved him off.

"Then keep trying." Fuka said nonchalantly, "He isn't a bad person. He may act like it, but there's more to him than what he shows."

Sana narrowed her eyes at Fuka. "Do you like him?"

Fuka went wide eyed, along with Tsuyoshi and Aya. Her face pinked a little and Sana grinned mischievously as she poked her best friend in the shoulder.

"So you _do_ like him!" Sana smirked, finding the perfect opportunity to tease Fuka and get back at her for constantly picking on her.

"NO!" Fuka defended, her cheeks red with embarrassment, "I do NOT like him!"

"Then why are you blushing hmm?" Sana began to laugh as Fuka's face heated up.

"Because that's an embarrassing question! I do not like him! He's just a friend, okay?"

Sana grabbed onto Fuka's shoulder and squeezed it as she continued laughing. She waved her free hand at her and grinned. "It's okay, Fuka. You don't have to admit it now." Sana then went up to her ear and whispered,_ "but you will tell me the truth later."_

She pulled away from her and winked, making Fuka blush harder. Fuka scowled at her best friend and stuck her tongue at her.

"You're such an ass, Sana!" The auburn haired teenager continued her laughing fest as Fuka attempted to smack her.

"Those two are so eerily similar, it's kind of creepy." Tsuyoshi said to Aya.

"I agree. They really do fight like sisters." They both nodded as they watched Fuka put Sana in a headlock while Sana was still laughing boisterously.

"Give it up! I have you now!" The brown haired girl called out, to which the hazel eyed girl giggled.

"Never!" She struggled finding a way out of Fuka's arms. She tried ticking her but that didn't work. So instead, she stepped on her foot, in which Fuka grimaced and jerked back. She let out a loud yelp and Sana broke free. Fuka massaged her foot as she threw an intense scowl at the auburn haired girl.

"That's cheating!"

Sana wriggled her eyebrows and grinned in victory, shrugging her shoulders. "All is fair in love and war, Fuka."

"Sana?"

Sana turned around to come face to face with the same beautiful, emerald green eyes she was met with this morning. There, in front of her, stood the handsome Akimoto Hiro. His eyes were bright and shining, a perfect smile gracing his lips. His perfect brown hair was resting on his perfectly shaped head as he shrugged his bag over his shoulder.

"Hi-Hiro!" She squeaked, caught off guard by his magical presence.

"Stuttering now?" He chuckled, "And here I thought you weren't one of those many admirers?"

She blushed, frowning slightly. "Heck no! You just caught me off guard, dummy!" She rubbed the back of her head as she smiled slightly at him.

He grinned, looking behind her. His brow rose, noticing that she was with Matsui Fuka, the star gymnast of the school. And next to her were Sasaki Tsuyoshi, the first place record holder of grades and his girlfriend, Sugita Aya.

"Hey, Matsui, Sasaki, Sugita." He called out to them with a slight nod. The three smiled back, saying hello to the prince of Jinbou High School. His good looks, athletic ability, and above than average grades made him popular in the school, in which girls deemed his the prince.

"So Sana, how you liking it so far?" He asked, still smiling.

"Oh! I really like it so far! Everyone here has been great and really welcoming! And the best part was that I was reunited with my best friend!" She ran over to Fuka and grabbed her arm, giving him the thumbs up.

"You knew Matsui?" He questioned.

"Yup! We went to elementary and middle school together for a bit!" She replied, "Right, Fuka?"

"Yeah. Who would have known this idiot was here." She grinned, poking Sana in the cheek.

"Oh, well that's cool."

He and Sana continued their conversation a little longer, in which included Hiro giving Sana his number. All three bystanders who were watching went wide eyed. Hiro never did that. Sure, he was popular, but he never gave his number out like that. Fuka narrowed her eyes at him slightly as she watched the hunk of a boy flirt with her best friend.

Akimoto Hiro never gave out his number. He didn't take interest in the girls at school. And Sana, her best friend, who wore her stupid, childish pigtails, and was overly obnoxious and sometimes too temperamental, was at the receiving end.

Fuka looked around and watched as girl's were sending glares toward the auburn haired girl for not only talking to Akimoto Hiro, but also getting his number. She could practically feel the tension and envy swimming around in the air. She watched as Hiro waved goodbye and Sana walked back over to them. She had a bright smile on her face.

"How in the world did you meet Akimoto Hiro?" Aya asked, blushing slightly.

"Oh, that? Haha! Well, this morning when I walked in, I was really lost and he gave me a tour of the school and took me to the administration office. No biggie." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you not know who he is, Sana?" Fuka elbowed her as they walked towards the cafeteria.

"Sure, he's the popular guy here right? When I was walking with him this morning, there were so many fan girls wailing after him. Kind of gross if you asked me." She padded down on her stomach as it growled and chuckled embarrassingly as she muttered something about her stomach begging for food.

"Sana, Akimoto is very, _very_ attractive." Aya mumbled, trying to avoid the glare Tsuyoshi was throwing at her.

"Obviously! I mean, have you seen those eyes! Like-_ whooooo._" She whistled as they entered the cafeteria. She began to drool at the smell of the food entering her nostrils.

"So you like him?" Fuka asked.

Sana laughed, shaking her head. "Just because I think a guy is attractive, it doesn't mean I like him. I think he's nice and charming, but no Fuka, I don't like him."

Fuka nodded. "And here I thought that I could find some way to get back at you for earlier."

They both laughed, leaving the couple behind them entirely confused. They didn't understand the friendship between those two. One minute they were fine, the next they were teasing each other.

"So, what's his story anyway? Is he a player? Bad boy every girl wants to date? Hot shot or what? I need the details!" Sana asked as she grabbed every piece of food she could possibly fit on her tray.

"They deem him the prince of Jinbou High School." Tsuyoshi said bitterly, as Aya tried reassuring him he was the one for her.

"The prince?" Sana burst into laughter as she grabbed as much food possible she could fit on her tray.

"Yeah. He has everything a prince should have, you know? The good looks, athletic talent, and even though his grades aren't as good as mine or Tsuyoshi, there still pretty good." Fuka explained as she tried taking the last plate of pudding from Sana, who was tugging it away from her.

"Sounds almost too good to be true-" She said through her teeth as she struggled to pull the pudding way from Fuka.

"He's not a playboy like most would think. He doesn't go around break hearts. Sure, he can be pretty cocky and a little big headed, but he's an overall good guy- oph!" She squeaked as Sana pulled the pudding away from Fuka and cheered in victory. She stuck her tongue out at Fuka, who just rolled her eyes.

"Actually, he doesn't really date girls around here. Nevertheless, give them their numbers." The brown haired gymnast commented as she looked around the cafeteria for a table to sit at.

"Is he gay?" All three teenagers went wide eyed at her comment and Tsuyoshi started laughing in the background. Aya and Fuka looked at each other in horror.

"Why would you ask something like that, stupid!?" Fuka hit her with her free hand, to which Sana glared.

"You said he doesn't date girls around here! So I could only assume that he is gay, right?"

"He's not gay!"

They both continued their bantering while Aya laughed slightly at their childish behavior. She tried to calm them down as Tsuyoshi looked around for an empty table. He looked around, only to find his best friend sitting alone at a circular table over by the larger windows the looked out towards the courtyard.

He pointed at the direction of the table to Aya, who nodded. He left the three girls and walked over to the blonde boy. He smiled at him as he sat to his side.

"Hey Akito." The blonde haired boy grunted.

"I heard about you and Sana this morning." He laughed slightly, poking at his food.

He rolled his eyes. "She's annoying. She's worse than Buka. And she's loud."

"Don't you think you're being a bit harsh. I mean, she did try to be your friend, right?"

Akito sent him a glare. "I don't need anymore friends. You guys are annoying as it is."

Tsuyoshi didn't take to heart his insult. Hayama Akito had always been a hard, tough person. He never let up his stoic faze. He didn't show much emotion apart from annoyance and anger. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen the blonde haired boy smile or even laugh. And that made him sad.

"Come on, Akito. Sana's not that bad." He pressed on, "Sure, she's a little on the hyperactive side, but she's a really nice person."

"You haven't even known her for a day." He scoffed.

"Right, but she wasn't stuck up or anything like that. She was really easy to talk to and she's very willing to make new friends. Besides, Fuka has known her longer and Fuka has no problem with her at all." Tsuyoshi continued. "I'm sure if you gave her a chance, you'd end up liking her too."

Akito sighed as Tsuyoshi continued giving him a hard time. There was just something about the girl that made him want to stay away from her. True, she was very much like Fuka in which they both blew up on him, both bantered him, both continued to poke at him, but she had something Fuka didn't. She was full of this bright light that he promised to stay away from.

And he wasn't a fan of the electric jolt he felt when they came in contact with each other. He didn't like the tingling feeling it left in him. That only meant something bad was about to happen in his experience.

Not only that, she really was overly annoying to him.

"Are you kidding me!?"

Both boys looked up and saw Sana, Fuka, and Aya standing in front of them. Sana had this pissed off look on her face and looked like she wanted to wring the blonde. They glared at each other for a few seconds before Sana turned away.

"I'm not sitting here with this jerk!"

"Oh stop being such a baby." Fuka said as she sat next to Akito. She watched him carefully as he moved over a bit. Aya sat next to Tsuyoshi, leaving an open spot across from the blonde.

"Not only are you an idiot, but you're also greedy with food." He noted.

She dropped her tray on the table and put her slammed her hands down, piercing him with a fierce glare that could challenge any of his. Her hunger was long forgotten and she wanted nothing more than to get her arms on the boy sitting in front of her.

"Stop being such an ass, Akito!" Fuka hit him and he turned to her with a glare.

"So what? I like to eat!" She defended herself, not caring if he thought she was fat.

"Apparently." He scoffed. She sent daggers at him, not liking the mocking tone in his voice.

"I don't know what your deal is with me, but seriously! I've had enough of you!" She gripped at him, "I'm sorry that I ran into you this morning and called you a jerk, but seriously, it's no excuse for you're damn insults! I really wanted to try and be friends with you, but if it just ends up in you insulting me at every chance you get, then forget it!"

With that, she turned away and stalked off. She disappeared through the doors of the cafeteria. The cafeteria went deathly silent and stared at the table. Fuka glared at everyone who was staring and stood up.

"What are you all looking at? Seriously, get on with your lives!" With that, the room awkwardly went back to their own business.

Fuka turned back to the blonde haired boy who was turned away from her. Tsuyoshi frowned slightly at his best friend's behavior. He didn't think Sana deserved it. Neither did Fuka.

"And what is your problem? Sana didn't do anything to you."

"Just shut up." He said before he got up and walked towards the same doors that Sana just walked out of only moments earlier.

"Where do you think you're going! You owe her an apology!"

"I don't owe her anything!" He called back to her. The blonde haired boy disappeared through the doors, leaving the rest behind.

"Well, that went well." Tsuyoshi said as he cleared his throat. Fuka rolled her eyes at him and left him and Aya behind to find the auburn haired girl.

_**-O-**_

"Stupid Hayama!" Sana shouted into her locker. She really had never been so infuriated with someone, so outraged, so enraged, so heated! She sighed angrily as she shut her locker closed and leaned back against it.

It wasn't even that she was hurt by his words. She wasn't. She was furious with him and the way he treated her. She didn't understand why he was just so _mean_ to her. She tried, didn't she? She tried to be friends and she tried to be civil. He just wasn't letting up.

Tsuyoshi and Fuka both mentioned how he was closed off. They mentioned how he didn't let people in and he pushed people away. Maybe that was why he was so mean? He was afraid she would see something he didn't want people seeing? Maybe he was afraid of her finding out some deep secret about him?

She wondered what kind of secrets he kept. Maybe he was secretly into shojo? She shook her head, thinking that was impossible. Maybe he was a secret juggler? Or a secret agent and had to keep his profile on the down low!? She went on to fantasize about the type of secrets a guy like him could keep. Of course she knew that they were all crazy ideas in the first place, but it didn't hurt to just have fun with her imagination.

She snapped out of her dreams when she heard the bell ring for the next class. She sighed and headed over to her history class, not noticing the glares going her way. People watched her walk into class and head over to her friends, who were luckily all in there with her. They asked her if she was okay and told them she was, reassuring that she just needed some alone time to keep herself in check. Fuka eyed her carefully which meant she didn't believe her for a second. Sana reassured her and before class started, Hayama walked in. Sana ignored him to which he did the same and they kept their distance from each other the entire time.

The class passed by quickly, and eventually the end of the day did too. Sana sighed as she went to change her shoes. Her last class was only her and Hayama _again_. But this time, she sat away from him. Not too far, but not the seat next to him. She ignored him for the rest of the class period and when class ended, she rushed out to get to her locker.

"Hey girl. We're all going to go to Mimi's Cafe. Want to come?" Fuka asked as she came up behind her. The auburn haired girl smiled, shaking her head.

"I would love too, but I have to get home and help Mama with unpacking you know? But thanks for the invite!"

Fuka smiled. "I'll have to stop by soon! Tell her I said hi!"

"I will!" Sana called out as she double checked her shoes. She waved goodbye to her friend and raced out of the school and towards her home. She hoped that she wouldn't see Hayama along the way because she saw him this morning. Her face went sour thinking about him. She shook her head to shake away any unnecessary thoughts. Her school day was over. It was time to go to home.

She got home quickly and when she did, she burst through the door, calling out to the entire house.

"I'm home!"

"Daughter, you've returned."

Kurata Misako raced in to greet her daughter in her miniature to car with her chipmunk, Maro, lounging around in a palm tree set on top of her head. Sana giggled as she watched her dorky mother race around in circles. Usually when she did that, that meant she was running away from her editor, Onda.

"How was your first day?" She stopped riding around, double checking the room. Sana laughed as her assumption was right. Her mama was getting away from her editor.

"It was great!" She said with a grin, forgetting all about the mean and condescending Hayama Akito.

Her mother smiled. "That's great to hear."

"Oh! And you're never going to believe it! Fuka's here!" Her face light up as she mentioned her best friend. "Remember Fuka? I use to hate her back in elementary school and then we go detention together and became best friends?"

"Yes, I do remember her. You two were conjoined to the hip after your little disputes, afterall."

"Yeah! I was so surprised when I saw her! I was like WHOA! FUKA!" Sana acted out the scene for her mother as she put down her school bag on the coffee table next to the door. She took off her shoes and walked over to the kitchen, where stomach continued to growl.

"She said hi by the way!" She called out as she rummaged through her fridge for anything to eat. The phrase_ 'I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow'_ was just child's play for her. She could eat a mountain of food and still be hungry.

"Yes, you will have to bring her over sometime." She heard her mom comment.

"I will! Oh! Also, I made tons of friends! There was Tsuyoshi, his girlfriend Aya, Mami, Hisea, Hisea's boyfriend Gomi, this really pretty lookin' guy named Hiro, and then Fuka of course!"

She then instantly thought of Hayama as she said Fuka's name. Her face turned sour and her eyes scrunched together as she pursed her lips. She slammed the fridge door shut, her attitude and appetite turning raw as she thought about the nasty blonde haired boy. All her anger from earlier was rushing back and she had the sudden urge to just hit _something._

Kurata Misako did not miss the way her daughter suddenly shut the fridge door shut. She did not miss the way her eyes were blazing with fire and her shoulders were as rigid as a rock. She did not miss the way the air in the room suddenly felt heavy. She was her daughter after all. She had watched her grow up into the woman she was turning into.

"Sana? Is something wrong?" Misako asked, curiosity biting at her.

"Yes! Something is very wrong!" The brown haired woman was surprised at her daughter's outburst.

"I don't get how someone can just be so_ mean_!" She sneered, her anger radiating profoundly. Misako could almost see the scarlet red aura surrounding her daughter. She hadn't seen her this angry in, well years.

"Well, there are many reasons why people are mean." She commented.

Sana abruptly stalked out of the kitchen and headed towards the staircase that led to the second floor of the house. She stopped at the first stair and turned sharply towards her mother, who just drove out from the kitchen in her toy car.

"I know that! But he had no reason,_ no reason whatsoever!_ To be so rude to me!" She exasperated, stomping her foot harshly.

"It might be easier to understand if you start from the beginning, foolish daughter." Sana ignored the teasing and exploded on her mother about the nasty Hayama Akito.

She vented to her, explaining her run in with him when she was walking to school then the events that unfolded throughout the day like her running into him and he insulting her, her trying to befriend him and he insulting her again, and finally the thing that set her off, lunch time. She ranted on and on about how he was constantly glaring at her whenever he looked at her and proceeded to tell her about how Fuka defended him when there was no defending needed. And when she was finally finished, Sana felt like her chest finally caved and she could breathe again.

There was a moment of silence as Misako took in her daughter's words. Sana slumped slightly against the rail of the stairs and sighed, feeling a little tired from the day.

"I just don't understand why he was so nasty." She said, in a lower voice. "And at_ me._ I didn't even do anything to him!"

"People like your friend Hayama Akito-"

"Oh, he is not my friend! I think he made that perfectly clear!" She frowned, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Shush!" Misako hit her with her toy hammer and Sana yelped as she rubbed the sore spot on her head. She glared at her mother as she put the hammer away.

"Now, this boy, Hayama Akito," she began, "He sounds like a character out of my books."

Sana sweat dropped and fell to the floor, not believing her mother. She got back up and threw daggers at her as her mother grinned at whatever was going on in that fictional world in her mind.

"Mama! Please! This is real life here!" Sana chided.

Misako narrowed her eyes at her daughter, not appreciating the mocking tone in her voice.

"Hush you! My fictional worlds are very relevant to issues of today!" She hit the young Kurata on the head with her toy hammer once again. "If you would have let me finish you would have heard me say that he is probably not accustomed to such loud, childish, unappreciative girls like you hanging around him!"

"Hey! Fuka is like me!" the hazel eyed girl pointed out in her defense.

"Daughter, if I remember correctly, Fuka was in the top of her class and mature." Sana opened her mouth to retort but shut it back closed, begrudgingly accepting that her mother was right about that.

"But still! No excuse for his attitude and jerkish behavior!"

"You must stop being so judgemental and look beyond on the barrier, idiot daughter of mine! Have I taught you nothing in the past 16 years on this earth!?" Misako growled, hitting her daughter again on the head. Sana swiped the hammer away and glared.

"I just met the guy! I don't want to 'look beyond the barrier!'" She countered.

"You don't have too, but at least accept him for who he is or else the rest of your high school years are going to remain like this."

Sana sighed, knowing her mother was right. She was _always_ right.

"Fine, okay." She grumbled.

"Good. Now, I must scurry off before that foolish editor of mine finds me." She then scurried off, with Maro holding on tightly to the palm tree on her head as the older woman raced off. No less than a second later, her editor came, out of breath, hunching over on his knees.

"He-hey Sana." He said breathlessly.

She gave him a smile and small wave. "Hi there, Onda."

"Yo-you haven't happ-happened to s-see you-your mo-mother around, ha-have you?"

She grinned, thinking that revenge had never been so sweet._ 'Sweet, sweet, karma.'_

"Oh yeah! She went that way!" She pointed towards the hallway her mother had just disappeared into.

"Thank you so much! See ya later, Sana!"

And with that, the editor desperately followed behind the author's trails, yelling from the distance his trademark phrase_ 'Misako, you're manuscript!'_ Sana giggled as she watched his vanish for a second. She knew she would definitely pay for it later, but her mother deserved it this time.

As she raced upstairs and into her room, she couldn't help but dwell on her mother's words and the rude Hayama Akito. Maybe her mother was right and she needed to stop being so judgy about the boy. As she plopped onto her bed, she sighed looking up towards the ceiling, her mind heavy with thoughts.

She remembered that weird jolt when their hands touched. She shook it off and pretended she didn't feel it, but she did. She didn't know what that was and it sort of freaked her out. She wondered if he felt the same thing. Did he? Was that why he was being so rude to her? Maybe he really didn't deal with people like her. And by people like her, she meant the outgoing, eccentric type. Sure, her and Fuka were similar in almost every way possible, but she did guess that Fuka was more mature than her.

It was still no excuse for his behavior though. She just wanted to be his friend. Was that really so bad?

She rolled over, landing on her stomach. She groaned into the softness of her mattress. She guess she could try again at being his friend. Maybe her mama was right and she just needed to give it time. Maybe after she cooled off and things between them stopped being so tense would she try again.

Maybe she would give being friends with Hayama Akito another try. What was the worse that could happen?

**A/N: Annnnnd done. Wow, this is the fastest I had ever gotten a chapter out. I guess I'm just that excited for this story. Anyway, like I said up above, I'm taking my chem final like later today and it would make me really happy to see some reviews and what you all think of this little chapter. And it would give me confidence, going into that final. Honestly, because I'm really thinking that I'll fail. But I'm not here to lay out my failures to you all.**

**I know Akito is being mean. Like really mean. But don't worry, you'll soon find out why. And of course, you gotta love Misako Kurata. I've always enjoyed writing her. I just get her character so much and it's always a joy writing her character.**

**Here is where I leave you. I don't know when I will update again. Soon, I think? I have other stories i gotta finish too. Oh! If you haven't, please, please, please, check out my other stories,_ Two Worlds Collide, Crimson Ties, and Beauty and the Dragon_. I would greatly appreciate it.**

**Until next time!  
-Dark Waffle**


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